Early intervention personnel preparation for the new millennium: Early childhood special education

Ten years have elapsed since McCollum and Thorp offered recommendations for the preparation of early interventionists. Progress has been made in addressing these recommendations, yet the field of early childhood special education continues to Face many challenges in preparing professionals to serve infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Higher education has begun to address the changing role of early interventionists by developing models for preservice education, specifically family-centered, blended, and interdisciplinary programs. The status of implementation of such models is explored, as well as the ongoing issues, challenges, and trends in the preparation of early interventionists.